Johan Halvorsen: Fossegrimen/Greeting to Roosevelt
MIC’s Listen to Norway profile series continues with Simax’ Johan Halvorsen release “Fossegrimen/Greeting to Roosevelt”
Fossegrimen is partly based upon the tale of Norway’s most celebrated fiddler, Torgeir Augunsson – better known as Myllarguten. Augunsson was said to have obtained his musical craft from Fossegrimen – the musical master of all underground creatures. Fossegrimen was written by actor and novelist Sigurd Eldegard, and legendary Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen composed the music for this so-called “troll-play in four parts”. In addition to Fossegrimen, the listener is also treated to Greeting to Roosevelt, a work that the Norwegian Nobel committee commissioned to Halvorsen in order to commemorate the Norwegian association with America. Both works evince an outstanding ability to incorporate disparate material into a unified musical context and are masterfully interpreted by soloist Arve Moen Bergset and the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Terje Mikkelsen.
Johan Halvorsen: Fossegrimen/Greeting to Roosevelt (Simax Classics PSC1207)
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